CLEARFIELD – A Clearfield woman charged with endangering the welfare of a child after her 7-year-old daughter was found dirty and hungry pleaded guilty Tuesday.
Brittany Marie Sipe, 27, also pleaded guilty in an unrelated case to retail theft, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia before President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman, who sentenced her to a total of 90 days to one year in jail and 18 months consecutive probation.
She was ordered to complete a nurturing program, and to comply with all conditions set by Children, Youth and Family Services. She must also complete the retail theft program and pay restitution of $356.62.
According to the affidavit of probable cause in the first case, on Aug. 27, police received a report form Lawrence Park Village about the girl after neighbors noticed she was not being properly cared for and should have been in school.
The girl said she was hungry. Her hair was matted and it seemed she had been wearing the same clothes for a few days.
An officer on the scene noticed she did not have shoes or socks. When asked about her mother, the girl said she was sleeping.
Although the neighbors said at least five people lived in the apartment, no one answered the door when they knocked repeatedly at the girl’s home.
Finally, a man came out of the apartment, but said no one else was home and “I just sleep there.”
After a CYS worker arrived, they were able to make contact with Sipe in the apartment. Because she had warrants for her arrest, she was taken into custody.
While inside, the officers saw a sink full of dishes, bugs on the floor and dirty clothes everywhere.
When the CYS worker asked where the girl sleeps, she said “back here but Steven and Christina are sleeping right now.”
The CYS worker knocked loudly on the door, awakening the people inside. The room had garbage all over the bed with dirty clothes and blankets.
The criminal complaint in the second case details how on Oct. 21 Sipe was caught walking out of a local store holding a large purse. Surveillance footage showed her taking items out of their packaging and putting them in her purse.
When she was questioned by police, Sipe denied shoplifting. A search of the purse uncovered a small bag of methamphetamine, and a glass pipe in addition to a thick stack of greeting cards, hairpieces, eyeliner and other items. In all she had 73 items that were stolen from the store.